(ZENIT News / Naples, 02.10.2025) – Father Maurizio Patriciello, a priest from Parco Verde di Caivano, Naples, received a bullet wrapped in a handkerchief during Communion at Mass on September 28. It was a threat from the Neapolitan Camorra, a Naples-based Mafia group.
In Parco Verde in Caivano, eight shell casings were found in the street from shots fired by a dozen individuals on motorcycles during the night. The parish priest reported on X network that they were «just a few steps from my parish. They say something important: that no person who loves the truth and the territory can deny. In Caivano and its surroundings, organized crime — well-established for years — has received a very hard blow in recent months.»
Later, Father Patriciello published the information that the perpetrators were very young. «Guys, in the name of God, stop! Enjoy your beautiful youth. The path you have taken is a dead end. It always ends in prison or in the cemetery — always.» The attack occurred in the context of growing tension in Caivano, which in 2023 was the scene of the rape of two 13-year-old cousins, attacked by a group of six teenagers.
A man, already known to the police, was arrested by the priest’s escort and a Carabinieri patrol (Italian Police) present outside the church, after handing Father Patriciello a 9×21 caliber bullet. Blocked, he was taken to the Carabinieri Company in Caivano, where he awaits investigation.
The priest commented: «The trade in the cursed drug has visibly decreased. Almost all the clan leaders are in prison. The government in power is committed like never before. Despite an unprecedented workload, criminals are trying to fill the gaps left by the prisoners. It’s a proven mechanism. Experts know it well,» he told the news outlet Articolo21.
The Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi, spoke by phone with the priest, expressed solidarity, and confirmed efforts in protecting him.
